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Monday, March 12, 2012

Slapdash Sunday

Slapdash Sunday: A day when it's perfectly acceptable to write a random (ie "train of thought") blog post with little rhyme or reason...and, yes, I know it's Monday now. Here's a bit of what's on my mind today:

After having read blogs and articles, and heard stories and advice over the years, my mind has been filled to capacity with items to put on our baby registry/wish list. When it comes time to fine-tune the lists and add some of these particularly awesome ideas, my thoughts go blank. Pregnancy Brain strikes again!

Two out of three kitties have become highly interested in my snacking habits; namely, my hummus. We have very strange, very special little guys -- as if I didn't already know this. I'm hoping and wishing that they acclimate well to the new addition come July.

I've been writing a cloth diaper post for, say, a month or so that keeps hitting snags. My mind is all over the place. I could just go with one brand, or try out a million different techniques (including the good ol'-fashioned one our mama used on us). The issue is that no single brand gets 100% "hooray, this is THE best brand out there!!!" reviews because no two babies are alike. (Most get moderate to great reviews, but all of them have their "don't use this brand!!!" -type reviews.) You can't buy Baby's First Crystal Ball o' Poop to know whether they'll tend to have a million blowouts or be a champion, 3-diapers-a-day kid. You also can't foresee whether breast feeding will be an out-of-the-park home run (which would quite possibly dictate the type of poo you'll be dealing with). It's overwhelming. So, I've stepped away from it for a little while. My mind is once again leaning towards "simplest is best" (ie one type of diaper, one brand, that's IT). But, we'll see. I can tell that you simply can't WAIT for that almighty post to arrive, when I finally decide. ;-)

The nursery is coming along, but only in the sense that it's becoming less and less of a catch-all room. More on that this week.

It appears that spring has actually accompanied the daylight saving time change (for once, in our area). We had one of the mildest winters I remember having - which is great because there were very few slips on ice (there's something about falling whilst pregnant...scary), but it felt like we had a "non-season". Wasn't fall. Wasn't spring. Wasn't winter. 'Twas nothin'. My irrational, superstitious Irish side forecasts that the summer will be one hell of a scorcher (+ screaming newborn + 3 inevitably shedding kitties + 1 irritable mommy = misery?)...but my ever-rational hubby suggests that it will be as mild a summer as was this winter. Ya gotta love him for talking me off the ledge.

Another awesome thing about spring coming is that it makes me think of food. Autumn brings on thoughts of chili and stews and soups (which I hardly made much of this year), but spring is a reminder of life and growth. Life + food = VEGGIES! I've decided that we're going to utilize the two raised beds (plus one or two potted plants - we'll see) but plant a smaller variety of foods this summer so that I know that the foods we DO plant are foods that we truly enjoy and will look forward to harvesting. Rather than purchasing a CSA and trying to find a way to use the wonderful (yet new and varied) items while focusing on a newborn (thus costing us more $ than we can afford this year), we're considering signing up for our local Foodshed Club (at $25/year) to supplement some of our food needs. Of course, a combination of grocery shopping and farmers' markets along with the Foodshed should keep us well-fed. ;-) More on this later, I'm sure.

We got a butt load done last Saturday, to the point where I was far more tired than at the end of any average workday. Those can be incredibly fulfilling days...or disappointing (come Monday, leaving one thinking, "Where did the weekend go? I'm exhausted!"). I'm hoping it's not the latter, but it does feel good to see a relatively clean house (the bits that I got cleaned!), a kazillion Goodwill bags, and a much emptier nursery.

This whole "growing a human being in your body" is pretty darn cool...albeit a tad strange and incredibly surreal at times. I've been feeling movement for awhile, but it's definitely become, well, at times more sporadic but more powerful. While Dave hasn't SEEN it happen yet, the whole belly just MOVES. It seems to be figuring out a schedule...but it hasn't shared it with me yet. There was a time when every night, upon laying down, it would start up (and would provide for a sweet moment when Daddy could make a connection by feeling it), but not s'much anymore. I only wish I could describe exactly what it feels like. At times a push. Others a tickling. Still others a brush (such as a hand or fist, knuckles and all, rubbing up against me). But, most of the time, it just makes me have to pee.

Yes, we're working on names. No definites yet. And, no, we won't be sharing them - not here on the blog, not with friends, not even with immediate family (with the exception of checking in with my sis about any "finalists" in the running - she paid the courtesy to me, simply because there are some family names we might have both wanted, so it's only fair to do the same. Plus, she's my best friend). It'll be a surprise for almost everyone - even us, until we meet the little one! :-) (Some folks may take that as a "neener neener", but it's just how we feel about it.) The same goes for belly touching. I'm just not cool with it unless you're the papa. (And I've got that narrowed down to 3 possibilities.)

I'm hoping people got that last joke...

The coming of spring definitely has a way of rejuvenating folks, doesn't it? The sunshine makes you happier, the warmth gives you hope (for some reason...again, it's not like we had a brutal winter, but when we DO get one, the idea that "nothing bad lasts forever" seems to bring with it some cheer), and the animals remind you of new life. That being said, it also tells me that we need to get our butts into gear on lots o' stuff. The warmer it gets, the more I'm reminded I need to do. And, yet, I don't feel overwhelmed. Not quite yet. (Perhaps never! This prenatal yoga's really helping!)

Happy Slapdash Sunday! Well, I hope you had a wonderful weekend, wherever you may be; enjoy your week ahead.

Sure, Shauna! A very brief rundown: the website is http://www.thefoodshedutica.com/ -- you pay a $20 per year and can place orders (I believe by a certain time on Sundays) that will be available for pickup the upcoming Friday in Utica. Some of the prices are high, but some are comparable to those at farmers' markets -- it depends on your needs that week, plus you'll know that if you place your order, the food'll BE there Friday! (Some of our favorite vendors at farmers' markets tend to run out of prime cuts or produce before we get there.) I'll undoubtedly be writing more about it when/if we sign up, too, so you can get a firsthand review if you're willing to wait. ;-)